Hydrogen based fuel cells are attracting widespread interest due to their high efficiency and potential for environmental soundness. A limitation to commercial adoption of hydrogen based fuel cells, however, is the production and storage of hydrogen. Hydrogen-based fuel cells currently require systems which can store hydrogen. This, however, is inefficient. Furthermore, there currently is no hydrogen infrastructure in the United States or any other part of the world. Thus, even if problems associated with hydrogen storage are solved, hydrogen fuel itself is not readily available.
On-board or on-site hydrogen production from fuels such as gasoline, jet fuel or diesel fuel offers an efficient and practical means to produce hydrogen for fuel cells. Current art limitations to on-board or on-site manufacture of hydrogen, however, include rapid catalytic deactivation due to carbon formation and/or sulfur poisoning.
A need therefore exists for sulfur-tolerant catalysts for hydrocarbon reforming which also are resistant to carbon formation.